The Goal of Indian Assimilation

Extract

Indian and white relations in the United States have continuously been influenced by the profound conviction of the white man that he is of a superior creation. It is not an attitude reserved for the American Indian—it extends to the members of every non-white race; nor is the attitude peculiar to citizens of the United States—it is shared by our British cousins, and is basic in Latin American relations. In spite of all our democratic protestations, this colour response vitally affects every aspect of the lives of all the members of many of our minority groups.

While many of the missionary minded from early colonial days onward have striven to “educate,” “civilize,” and “Christianize” the Indians, the great mass of the white population continued for many years to look upon the Indians as members of a sub-human group. To be honest with ourselves, many of our citizens still hold to this point of view.

In the light of this fact, it is surprising that the government of the United States has maintained as unblemished a record of respect for Indian land titles as is the case. Throughout our relations with the tribes, even though our citizens have invaded Indian territory, sold Indians liquor, incited Indians to revolt, and then put down that revolt with bloody fury, we have preserved the legal position that the Indians held title to the land of the United States when the white man landed; and we have scrupulously treated with each group as we pushed them westward, to extinguish the Indian title by treaty and compensate the tribes in some fashion. In those early days, very little was said about assimilation. We continuously promised Indians that after we had pushed them far enough west to get them out of the way, we would let them settle down and live their lives as independent nations. It is still technically correct to refer to the Six Nations in New York State; or to the Cherokee, Choctaw, or Chickasaw Nations in Oklahoma. Until Oklahoma was admitted to statehood, the United States dealt with these Indians as members of independent nations.